Apparatus for extraction of precious metals from their ores.



No. 738,148. PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903.

J. B. DE ALZUGARAY & W. A. MERGER. APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTION OF PRECIOUS METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

2 arms PETERS 50.. PHoTaLm-m. WASHINGTON, n z;v

UNITED STATES Patented September 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSE BA XERES DE ALZUGARAY AND \VILLIAM ALEXANDER MERCER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE BAXERES GOLD EXTRACTION COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTION F PRECIOUS METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,148, dated September 8, 1903.

Application filed December 26, 1902. Serial No. 136,569. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J osn BAxEREs DE AL- ZUGARAY, a citizen of the Argentine Republic, and a resident of Suffolk House, Laurence Pountney Hill, and WILLIAM ALEXANDER MERCER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Blomfield House, 85 London Fall, in the city of London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Apro paratus to be Used in the Extraction of Precious Metals from their Ores, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the upper portion of the same, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line :0 a: of heaters.

This invention relates to apparatus to be used in connection with the carrying out of a metallurgical process for the extraction of precious metals from their ores, which forms the subject of two several Letters Patent of the United States, granted, respectively, October S, 1900, No. 658,938, and May 27, 1902, No.

701,002, and of an application for Letters Patent made by Jose Baxeres de Alzugaray, filed December 8, 1902, Serial No. 134,455, and

which process is known as the Baxeres process.

This process consists, broadly, in blowing gaseous mixtures of halogens and oxygen through the cyanid solution in which the ore is suspended, whereby the extraneous matters mechanically holding the precious metal 5 are oxidized and at the same time the precious metal is dissolved.

It has been found that to obtain the most satisfactory results it is necessary to employ mechanical agitation to keep the ore in suspension in liquid while introducing the chemical whether in solution or in the form of gas; and the object of this invention is to provide a convenient and suitable apparatus whereby the above-named process may be effectually 5 carried out.

The invention, then, consists in a special construction of apparatusmecessitated by the fact that halogen gas, especially bromin, has a strong corrosive action on most metals and also under some circumstances a more or less destructive action on wood.

The apparatus in its general features consists of a closed vat or vessel in which the ore and liquidsay water-in suitable proportion are placed, provided with a hollow spindle having hollow arms or boaters, by which the cyanid solution and the bromin and oxygen gas or oxygenated compounds or the pulp may be introduced into the vat, and in order that the invention may be clearly understood it will now be fully described with reference to the drawings.

A is a vat or containing vessel formed of wood and preferably lined with lead. As, however, halogens when in solution have not the same destructive elfect on wood as when in a concentrated or free state, the lining is not in all cases absolutely necessary. Inside the vat at suitable distances apart are placed blades, Wings, or baffle-plates B, which may be vertical, horizontal, or helical. The vat is provided with a cover O,lead-lined if required, having a door which is capable of being hermetically sealed (not shown) and a pipe u for carrying off any excess of gas to a condenser or equivalent apparatus. (Not shown.) At the bottom the vat is provided with a drawoff pipe D, provided with a suitable cook or valve, and the vat is strengthened by braces E above the cover and below the bottom. Bolted to the vat by the same braces are standards F, carrying driving mechanism and also having bearings foraverticalhollow shaft orspindle G. This spindle G passes througha stuffing-box on the cover, the said box being composed of an alloy of lead and antimony, technically known as hard metal. The spindle G is protected by a sleeve H of the same material, which turns in the box, and the bushing for the stuffing-box is lignumvita-2. The spindle G is formed of wood, having a hole bored longitudinally throughout or almost throughout its entire length and lined with lead, and the spindle is carried by a shoulder I, resting with ball-bearings on a grooved plate J, carried by the standards F. This shoulder may consist of the hub of miter-wheels K, mounted on the shaft or spindle G and driven from the prime mover in 1 shown, but which forms the subject of anany convenient manner.

L represents radial heaters or blades attached to the lower end of the spindle G, and these heaters or blades are set at a slight inclination forward, the more readily to cut into and lift up, as it were, the mass of ore collected at the bottom of the vat. These'heaters carry pipes M from the central spindle for the gases, which pass out through openings on the rear side of the heaters and in a direction the reverse to that of the rotation of the heaters. It has been found necessary to lower and raise these heaters L during the operation of the apparatus, and for this purpose the spindle is carried by a cross-head N, working on guides 0, attached to the standards F, and being raised and lowered by screws P, working through nuts operated by worm-gearing, by means of the hand-wheel Q, or in any other convenient manner. When in the raised position, the spindle will rest by a shoulder R on ball-bearings running on a plate S, carried by the cross-head. At the top the spindle may be provided with a stuffing-box T, with a gas-tight gland, which may receive the end of a lead-and-antimonyjunctionpipe V. This pipe may be provided with arms bearing against the guides O, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, which removes any tendency of the pipe to twist. This junction-pipe has branches W W, one connected with the cyanid solution and the other with the bromin-gas apparatus, (not other application filed by us December 8, 1902, Serial No. 134,267,) and to which the name of the mixer is given. The spindle G is raised at the commencement of working and is gradnally lowered as the ore is stirred up until it arrives at the bottom of the vat. The fixed blades in the vat serve to prevent the rotation of the liquid therein under the influence of the rotating heaters. The standards-F also serve to steady the hollow spindle.

What we claim as our invention, and de sire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Apparatus for treating ores, consisting of a closed containing vessel or vat provided with fixed internal blades or wings, a rotating hollow spindle provided with ball-bearings and having hollow blades or heaters set at an angle, means for raising and lowering the spindle in the vat, gearing for rotating the spindle, and means connected with the vat for supporting the gearing and steadying the spindle, all combined, arranged and operating as shown and described and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSE BAXERES DE ALZUGARAY. WILLIAM ALEXANDER MERCER.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK JOHN HARRIS, G. F. WARREN. 

